The present invention relates in general to the field of telecommunications and more specifically to a system and associated methods for keeping a customer""s telephone number when a switch is made from one telecommunications service provider to another.
Without limiting the invention, its background is described in connection ith local telephone services and providers of such services.
In general, the telecommunications industry has evolved into a highly competitive and sophisticated network of equipment manufacturers and service providers. Since the early 1980s, the industry has seen a shift from pure analog techniques over copper wire to digital techniques using fiber optic cabling. Today, customers can choose from a large array of consumer telecommunications services including local and long distance calling, 800 and 900 calling accounts, TCP/IP (i.e. the xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d) and others.
Typically, a telecommunications customer obtains access to such services by establishing an account with a service provider. The service provider, in turn, will assign to the customer a telephone number for inbound calls or provide the customer with a dial-up number for outbound calls. For example, the number can be the local telephone number where the customer can be reached such as a home or business. The number can also be the local dial-in to an automated system for a switched connection to a network element such as a domain server. Other examples include, but are not limited to, a customer""s facsimile machine, cell phone number or voice mail.
At the same time industry deregulation has brought about the entry of multiple service providers within single geographic regions. In addition to competition, the number and variety of telecommunications services continues to increase. Typically, a category of service is tied to a single unique number so that any one customer may consume a host of numbers to accommodate a host of services. Thus, a common situation has evolved wherein a single customer will have a home number, an office number, a facsimile machine number, a cell phone number, an Internet account number and possibly others, as examples.
Today""s service providers employ advanced information technology systems using sophisticated equipment such as routers, switches and digital cross-connects. At a minimum, the equipment must be configured to ensure calls reach their destination regardless of the service provider. While industry standards and communications protocols have been adopted by the industry, cooperation amongst service providers has been critical to implementing a reliable network. Today, a customer can place a clear noise free call from almost anywhere in the world.
The Public Switched Telephone Network (xe2x80x9cPSTNxe2x80x9d) comprises the telecommunications backbone for most voice/data traffic in the world. For most local and long distance telephone calls a local telephone company acts as a local entry point to the PSTN. Typically, a Local Routing Number (xe2x80x9cLRNxe2x80x9d) is used to route the call from a point of origination to a point of destination on the PSTN. This is true regardless of who is servicing the call at either point.
This infrastructure, however, does not always accommodate a change in the service needs of an end customer. For example, often a customer desires to switch service providers to take advantage of a more attractive rate plan. The problem lies in that the customer is not guaranteed to maintain the same local number even if the customer remains at the same location. Thus, until the present invention, there was no way to port a customer""s number from one service provider to another within the same local region.
In short, as competition for communications services has grown so has the value attached to a customer""s telephone number. At present, different xe2x80x9cLRNsxe2x80x9d are used among different service providers. Moreover, service providers have not developed a means for reliable call routing when a switch from one provider to another is made. Until the present invention, the only solution was to assign a new telephone number not already in use by another customer.
While long distance carriers have enacted portability solutions on a regional or even national basis for certain classes of services, such as 800 and 900 accounts, the local portability problem has not, until the present invention, been squarely addressed. Moreover, prior art efforts at local number portability have not been widespread. For example, an industry task force was formed, pursuant to the Illinois Commerce Commission Order on Customers First Plan (Docket 94-0096 dated Ap. 7, 1995), to develop a permanent number portability solution for Illinois. While the task force made progress in defining the problem and resolving certain issues related to implementing local number portability, it did not resolve the problem on a nationwide basis. Nor did the commission establish the hardware and software interfaces required to implement a nationwide portability solution.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method of achieving local number portability on a nationwide basis. A system and method of sharing a single telephone number over different local exchange carriers would fill a void not presently addressed by the prior art.
As such, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a hardware and software platform to effect the porting of local telephone numbers from one service provider to another. The systems and subsystems of the invention are designed to communicate with a Number Portability Administration Center Service Management System (xe2x80x9cNPAC/SMSxe2x80x9d) which receives and stores updated customer routing information and makes it available to participating service providers. The NPAC/SMS contains a record of all ported numbers and a history file of all transactions relating to the porting of a number.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for Local Number Portability (xe2x80x9cLNPxe2x80x9d) that submits service orders changes to a NPAC/SMS. In this regard, a Service Order Administration (xe2x80x9cSOAxe2x80x9d) subsystem is provided as means of entering and submitted services order changes to the NPAC/SMS via an interface that supports the retrieval and update of subscription, service provider and network information. A graphical user interface or a message-based interface to a service provider""s upstream systems may be used for this purpose.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a facility for administering the service provider subscription information relating to a particular customer. In this regard, the SOA is equipped with a host of functions for creating, canceling, acknowledging, modifying, retrieving, activating, disconnecting and removing subscription version information. The SOA has an audit capability that permits audits of a customer""s porting activity based on a telephone number and receives notifications from a NPAC/SMS to ensure that it is fully informed of relevant events relating to a service provider""s subscriptions.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide the interface structures that permit service providers to read and update their own service provider information within a NPAC/SMS. In this regard, the interface permits service providers to update the information in their service provider profile as well as add and delete their own network data. The information is accessible to all service providers via a standard interface to assure correct call routing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system that interfaces directly with existing telecommunication equipment operated by all service providers. In this regard, a new service provider can obtain authorization to port a customer using a standardized message format that notifies an old service provider according to processes internal to the old service provider. The messaging format includes signal protocols that can be used by both the old and new service providers to sends update notifications to the NPAC/SMS using the SOA. Upon receipt of the notification(s), the NPAC/SMS performs certain validation checks, and attempts to match a notification received from the new service provider with a concurring notification that may be sent from the old service provider, permitting the two service providers to complete the port.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a means of downloading subscription and network data from a NPAC/SMS to the local service provider""s applications for correct call routing and network provisioning. In this regard, an Interface Broadcast Agent (xe2x80x9cIBAxe2x80x9d) subsystem is provided as a means of interfacing a service provider""s downstream systems with the NPAC/SMS. In one embodiment, the IBA subsystem is configured to automatically receive new network or subscription data or modifications to existing data. The IBA may also request data using a download request. The request can be based on time range, telephone number, telephone number range or other indicator. A service provider can also directly read the data from the NPAC/SMS.
The invention provides the software and hardware platforms for achieving Local Number Portability. A central or regionalized database is used to keep track of local numbers and the corresponding local service provider that services each number. Service providers interface with the database and obtain information at the telephone number level that permits individual providers to determine which carrier is providing service to which telephone number. A neutral third party maintains and administers the database allowing free access by any participating provider. Methods for transferring a customer""s port data from an old service provider to a new service provider are also disclosed.
Disclosed, in one embodiment, is a system for maintaining a customer""s local telephone number when a switch is made from a first service provider to a second service provider. The system uses a regional number portability subsystem containing a plurality of telephone number porting data defining how to route a call from one service provider to another. A service order application is communicably linked to the regional number portability subsystem and configured to send a porting request for a specific customer to the portability subsystem and service providers interfaced to the subsystem. A local service management application is communicably linked to the regional number portability subsystem via a second data pathway and configured to receive the porting request. The local service management application supports the interface to the second service provider and delivers the porting request containing the new routing data for the customer allowing the customer to maintain their existing telephone number once the switch is made.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, including its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.